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Concussions will be a huge part of the conversation when USA Rugby hosts a
Medical Symposium at the USA 7s in Las Vegas next week.

The Symposium itself won’t concentrate only on rugby, but is
supposed to be a sports health symposium covering a wide range of topics,
but, said USA Rugby Director of Medical Services Michael Keating,
“concussion is the most important thing.”

Concussions in all sports, said Keating, is finally becoming a serious
issue.

Cantu, Clinical Professor Department of Neurosurgery and Co-Director Center
for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, Boston University School of
Medicine, is an advisor to the NFL on concussions who has posited that
maybe the sport should get rid of helmets. He has backed off his criticism
of the IRB’s protocols, but remains one of the authorities, and strong
voices, on concussions.

In addition, the symposium will include Dr. Ann McKee, an expert on Chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repeated,
often supposedly minor, brain trauma.

“Day two is loaded with an all-star list of presenters,” Keating said. “If
you are dealing with athletes and the potential for concussion and
emergency care – regardless of your knowledge level or participation in
rugby – this symposium is for you.”

Keating wants rugby in America to help take the lead in talking about these
difficult subjects. And concussion is certainly a difficult subject. In
December, The Guardian in England called concussion rugby’s dirty little
secret. In 2010, the BBC ran a story on how player honesty is one of the
stumbling blocks to treatment. Players, simply put, might hide a concussion
that’s not obvious to most observers in order to play in the next game.
A
survey by the Welsh Rugby Union of 75 lower-division players found that
only 20% reported concussion incidents.

Keating wants the sport of rugby to face up to these issues, and hopes then
that players and coaches will follow suit.

“USA Rugby is leading the way in the education, prevention, treatment and
management of concussions,” said Keating said. “Our fifth annual Sports
Medicine Symposium will have an unprecedented panel presenting on the
subject. With a priority of keeping rugby and all sports safer, we have
secured the world’s experts in concussion and sports medicine to present.
Our conference has always kicked off with a focus on concussion on the
first day and we continue to make this a priority.”
For more on the speakers and agenda of next week's symposium, click
here.